The Fifth Year
by Kitten Columbus
Summary: Harry's fifth year could end up being the weirdest one yet. He is begining to have feelings for Hermione, plus the famous singer Mara Astri comes to school, and she ends up being Sirius's daughter! Main pairing: HHr plus more. AU from actual fifth book
1. An Escape from a Horrible Holiday

A/N: Ok, first off, this is a Harry/Hermione fic. It _might_ end up being a Draco/Ginny, Ron/Lavender, Fred/Angelina, George/Katie, and will _probably _be an Oliver Wood/ OC. Now that that's out of the way, let me warn you that I've messed with a few people's ages. **Fred, George, and Oliver are all 2 years older than Harry, as are Alicia, Angelina, and Katie. **Some things may seem odd at first, but they all will be explained later. 

Disclaimer: I DON'T OWN ANYTHING EXCEPT THE STUFF THAT'S MINE!!!

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Chapter 1

Escape From a Horrid Holiday

Harry Potter looked happily around his room as he finished packing. No, it wasn't time for the school year yet! On the contrary, he was going to stay with one of his best friends, Hermione Granger, for the rest of the summer. His other best friend, Ron Weasley, was also going to be there. This was going to make the holidays even more fun. Of course, Uncle Vernon, Aunt Petunia and Cousin Dudley, his "family", were thrilled he was leaving. Hermione's parents, who were dentists, were coming to pick him up around noon. 

Harry lugged his trunk, filled with both his Hogwarts things from last year, and some Muggle things, his Firebolt and the birdcage containing his pet owl, Hedwig, down the stairs.

"Now, _they'll _be coming the normal way, boy? Not like those loonies from last year?" Uncle Vernon inquired. As much as Harry would have loved to use magic on Uncle Vernon for calling the Weasleys "loonies" he stopped himself. It was already 11:50 and there was no reason for him to let them get him angry when he was so close to leaving.

"Vernon, dear, the car looks lovely," Aunt Petunia declared. Uncle Vernon had just bought a new car. It was a vintage '50's convertible. Just then, there was a knock on the door. Harry, who was luckily standing closest, opened it.

"Harry!" Hermione said, giving him a hug. "Mum and dad are out front." She moved out of the way so Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia could see her parents' car. It was a brand new red convertible. Uncle Vernon's jaw dropped.

"Hello, you must be Harry's Uncle," said Mr. Granger. Uncle Vernon still hadn't recovered, so he just nodded. Dudley, who had just come outside, saw the car and his jaw dropped as well to reveal severely yellowed teeth. Mr. Granger cringed, as did Mrs. Granger.

"Harry, I'll put that in the trunk for you," Mr. Granger said. After loading up the car, and releasing Hedwig, who was going to follow them from above, they all got in it.

"See you next summer!" Harry yelled. He was sitting in the back with Hermione. The wind was pretty bad back there so they couldn't hear each other. However, when they reached the midday traffic, Hermione turned to Harry.

"We're staying at my grandma's old house," she explained. "I actually live in the city, but mum and dad thought it would be more fun for us in the country." She smiled.

"That's neat," Harry said. 

"So how have you been?" she asked.

"Oh, ok. The Dursleys are still afraid of what Sirius might do if they aren't nice to me, so they haven't done anything," he said. "How have you been?"

"Great! I've been reviewing the things we learned last year so I'll be able to learn everything new easily," Hermione explained. They got out of the traffic jam and were soon speeding through the country. The scenery was very pretty. After a little more than an hour, they reached a large farmhouse. They pulled into the long driveway, leading into a recently built garage. 

"Hermione, why don't you show Harry around the house and maybe the yard? After he sees his room, of course," Mrs. Granger said kindly. 

"Sure, mum," Hermione said. She turned to Harry. "Follow me." She led Harry through the garage and into a back hallway. "It's a little hard to navigate through here," Hermione explained apologetically. "When my great- grandfather bought it, it was smaller, and he thought that he'd just add on a couple of rooms. He wasn't really that into symmetry, so wherever a room could fit, and the outside would still look good, he put one. Then my grandfather did pretty much the same thing. Of course, he and my grandmother decided that they wanted to go on a world tour, so they're letting us use the house. Well, here we are," she pointed to an open door. The room was larger than the one he'd had at the Dursleys'. It also had a homier feel to it. Harry deposited his stuff in his room and met Hermione outside in the hall.

After receiving a quick tour of the house, there was a noise emitting from the living room that contained a large fireplace. The Grangers and Harry went to see what had happened. There stood Ron and his mother!

"Sorry for the racket, dears," Mrs. Weasley said. "Hello Harry, Hermione, how are you?"

"Fine thanks," they said in unison. 

"Arthur wanted to come, but you know how he gets when he sees Muggle things," Mrs. Weasley said. She turned to Ron. "Now, behave yourself. I'll be in Diagon Alley on the twenty-fifth. Maybe we can meet there?" 

"That sounds splendid," Mrs. Granger declared.

"Well, I'd best be going then," she said. Then she left via Floo powder.

"C'mon Ron. We'll show you where you're staying!" The three teenagers climbed the stairs. Ron's room was right next to Harry's, and, after he put his stuff inside, they went down to dinner.

After eating, Hermione showed them around the yard, which was huge. Her grandparents even owned the woods in back of the house. Around 7:00, Hermione gasped and looked at her watch.

"What?" Harry asked, alarmed.

"I'm missing my favorite TV program!" Hermione declared, and she turned and hurried off towards the house. The guys sighed and followed her inside and into the living room. Ron sat in a cozy armchair while Harry and Hermione sat on the couch. Hermione clicked on the TV, using the remote.

_" Hello and welcome to _Teen Scene LIVE_, the show where we interview all the teenagers making a name for themselves in music, movies or TV. I'm your host, Annie May," _said a lady with short dark hair sitting in an armchair on a stage. _"Today on our show we have a girl who has conquered the Movie scene of the US and now has the prospect of becoming an international star, not just for her acting, but also for her singing in the movie, _Witches of England_. Please give a warm welcome to Mara Astri!" _The crowd broke into loud applause as a girl with long, wavy dark blonde hair walked on stage. She sat down in the armchair next to Annie May. Hermione gasped.

__

"I don't believe it!" she said. 

"Don't believe what?" Ron asked.

"That's Mara Astri!" Hermione said.

"Who's Mara Astri?" Harry asked.

"She's my favorite actress!" Hermione declared.

_"We'll be right back, after the break, when we get to hear exclusive info about _Witches of England,_" _Annie May said. Hermione turned down the volume.

"I can't believe she's gonna be in a movie called _Witches of England_," Hermione said sadly.

"Why?" Harry asked.

"It's probably just going to be a stereotypical movie about witches! I can't believe my favorite actress is going to be in a movie like that," Hermione declared.

"Hermione, she doesn't even know that there's real witches and wizards," Harry pointed out..

"Still! She should know better," Hermione said. "Now shh! It's back on!" Hermione turned up the volume.

_"Mara, what's _Witches of Europe _about anyway?" _Annie May asked.

_"Well, it's about this American guy that comes to live in Britain in this really small town with his parents. While he's there, he notices that there's this one group of girls that always hangs out together. Rumor around town is that they're witches. Well, of course, he falls in love with the head witch, me," _Mara smiled. _"Everything's going great until this evil wizard decides to kill all witches and wizards who don't have pure-blood. So all these other witches and wizards move in. Of course, they all act completely like the other inhabitants of the town. However, this witch hunter comes at the same time as the evil wizard discovers this town and the American guy has to help us save the day."_

"Oh, come on. It's not too bad. She's right about a dark wizard who only likes pure-bloods!" Ron said. Hermione glared at him.

__

"Well, that does sound interesting. Now, why does your character sing in the movie?" 

_"My character, Clara, has powers that help control elements with her voice. In the scene where the dark wizard attacks, they're all at this out door school concert, and the choir runs away. Well, I get on stage, grab the MIC and start singing. It's really funny. Everyone thinks that I'm singing in English, but actually I'm singing a spell in Latin! Of course, they're both on the soundtrack, but the English version is the one that we made into a music video." _Mara laughed.

__

"Now, we understand that the American guy is played by your ex-boyfriend, Kevin Edwards. Was it hard to do this movie with him in it?"

"Not at all. We didn't break up until after we finished the filming. The hard part is going to be going to school with him this year."

"Oh, yes, I forgot. You go to The Academy for Gifted Students, right?"

"Yep, it's a junior high school through high school and a college."

"Now, Mara, I understand that Astri is just your stage name. It's your mom's maiden name, correct?" Annie May asked. Mara looked a little uncomfortable, yet she smiled anyway.

__

"Yes, that's right," Mara said_._

"Your father is English right?" Annie May asked. Mara nodded. _"I don't want to pry, but why didn't you use his last name?"_

"Well, um, Astri sounds a little more exotic," Mara said. It sounded as though she was just trying to make up an excuse.

__

"Really? Well, remember I don't want to sound impertinent, but isn't your father that English murderer who escaped from some prison two years ago? Isn't his name Sirius Black?" This seemed to touch a nerve.

__

"Miss May, Sirius Black is my father. However, he didn't kill anyone. I was born before he went to prison and I know that he didn't," Mara said slightly coldly.

_"Have you seen him since he escaped?" _Annie May asked curiously.

_"Now, I mean no offence to anyone, but if I had seen my father, what makes you think that I would say it on television?" _Mara now had a very strained smile. As though finally getting the message, Annie May smiled brightly. 

__

"Well, it's been really nice having you on the show." she said.

__

"It was nice to be here-" Hermione turned off the TV. 

Hermione and Ron looked at Harry. As though reading their thoughts, he shook his head.

"I'm as stunned as you are. Sirius never mentioned having a daughter," he declared.

"She looks like she's Fred and George's age," Ron mused.

"That means she's two years older than you Harry!" Hermione said. "Do you think that anyone knew?"

"I don't know," Harry said. Had anyone known? Why hadn't Sirius told him?

"Wait, her mother's American, right?" Hermione asked. The boys shrugged. They had no idea. "She is, I think. That means that probably she was probably born in America. I say we should do some research."

"Or Harry could always ask Sirius!" Ron declared.

"What if he doesn't want him to know?" Hermione asked.

"Forget it! I'll ask him, and we can research, ok?" Harry said. The other two nodded.

"We'll start as soon as we can, Harry," Hermione said. Still, that night, Harry went to bed wondering why Sirius hadn't told him.

The summer went by faster than any had before. In no time at all, it was time to go to Diagon Alley. They traveled through the Leaky Cauldron, where they ran into the Weasleys.

"I thought that you'd come this way!" Mr. Weasley said. "Molly wasn't keen on letting the kids come this way of course."

"What's the matter with you two?" Ron asked Fred and George.

"Look at this!" George handed them a copy of the _Daily Prophet. _

"Professional Quidditch canceled!" Ron said.

"You don't think they're going to cancel Quidditch at Hogwarts do you?" Harry asked.

"No, I don't think so I mean they just did last year," Ron trailed off. He hadn't meant to mention last year, because last year was the Triwizard Cup. Because last year Voldemort had returned. And because last year, Cedric Diggory had been killed before Harry's eyes. There was an uncomfortable silence.

"Maybe we should enter the Alley, mum," Ginny Weasley said. 

"Oh, right. Of course dear. Come along," Mrs. Weasley said. After entering Diagon Alley they headed to Gringotts, where they got money to buy their supplies. Then they headed to Flourish and Blotts, to get their books. Fred and George declared that they had to go to the robe shop and made Ron come with them. When they returned, Ron was smiling.

"I got new dress robes!" he told Harry and Hermione. After this, they all left Diagon Alley. Ron, Harry and Hermione went back through the Leaky Cauldron, where her parents were waiting. The other Weasleys used Floo Powder to get home.

Harry tried to contact Sirius a few times. He never asked in the letter, he just asked Sirius to write back. Sirius did, but his replies were very short. Soon Harry remembered that Dumbledore had sent him to find Lupin and their old friends. He decided to forget it. 

However, he changed his mind two days before he was going back to Hogwarts.. Hermione had just subscribed to the Worlds Wizardry Network, a TV channel for witches and wizards who had TV's. They sat down and decided to see what was on. It was a talk show.

_"Hello everyone, and welcome to _The Crystal Cosmos Show, _I'm your host Crystal Cosmos!" _The lady on TV said. She was youngish with long auburn hair. She was wearing a robe, as were the rest of the audience.

_"Today, on our show, we have a very exclusive interview with an American witch who is making Muggle headlines. Despite not having the best home life, she's a huge mega-star. With her newest movie coming out next week, and her first album hitting stores in and out of the Wizard world, we wonder what could she possibly do next? Here's Mara Astri with her answer."_

"They've gotta be kidding!" Ron said.

__

"It doesn't look like it," Hermione said.

__

"Hi Crystal," Mara said. 

_"Mara, I'm just gonna cut to the chase. Why are you doing this movie?"_

"Well, I guess you could say, it was because I wanted people to understand a little better. Before I signed on, the script was atrocious; most of the stuff was so stereotypical, it was laughable. I tried to change as much as I could, without giving away too much."

"Well, honestly, I thought you were crazy! I saw you on the Muggle talk show Teen Scene LIVE _and I couldn't believe that lady asked you all those questions! I mean, actually bringing up your father like that."_

"Well, Crystal it was the perfect time to make sure that everyone knew that my dad is innocent. I don't care that hardly anyone believes me."

"Actually, Mara, a poll taken in the wizard world, right after your interview, showed that 28% of people believe that Sirius Black is innocent. And, I happen to have here a poll taken just yesterday. It says that 35% think that he's innocent, 12% aren't sure, 1% don't care, and only 52% think that he's guilty! Look at the paper." Crystal handed Mara the paper. She read it and looked shocked. She read it two more times before handing it back.

_"Now if you remember, 99% of people thought that he was guilty before he went to Azkaban."_

_"Wow."_

"Now, on to other topics, is it true that you and Kevin Edwards broke up because-"

"It was because he flat out lied to me, Crystal!" Mara said. "When we were working on the movie, we obviously didn't go to classes. Now, I'm sure you know that we have the same houses in America as Hogwarts has, right?" Crystal nodded. _"Well, he told me he was in Ravenclaw. We started dating and, later, I found out he wasn't. He was not only in Slytherin, but his parents had been Death Eaters, as was his uncle!" _The whole audience gasped. 

_"That must've been shocking!"_

_"It was. However, I wasn't going to just dump him because of that. I mean, people aren't always exactly like their parents. However, when I told him, he laughed! He was all, they were just getting rid of those stupid Mudbloods! So I dumped him."_

_"I'm sure everyone here agrees with you, sweetie!" _The audience applauded. Hermione turned off the TV.

"I'm thinking that you should owl your godfather," Ron said. 

"I'm going to," Harry said.

"Harry, maybe you should wait," Hermione said. They looked at her like she was insane. "I mean, we're going back to school the day after tomorrow! We might as well wait. I bet that Professor Dumbledore knows something!" The boys agreed. The next day was spent packing. It took awhile to make sure they had everything. Then, the morning after that, it was time to go back to Hogwarts.

TBC..

A/N: Well, thank you for reading chapter one. Chapter two will contain some starting traces of Harry/Hermione. I hope you'll keep reading! Please review!


	2. The Train

Disclaimer: Don't own anything that's not mine.

A/N: Here's chapter 2. I hope you like it. Thanks to everyone who reviewed! That's the most reviews I've ever gotten for the first chapter of a fic. (Actually, it's only 2 less than the most reviews I've gotten for a fic.) Anyway, please keep reading! 

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Chapter 2

The Train

Harry woke up at 7:45 am on the day he was supposed to take the Hogwarts Express to Hogwarts. He got dressed and then took his trunk, Firebolt, and the cage containing his sleeping owl, Hedwig, downstairs. Hermione and her parents were already downstairs eating breakfast. 

"Good morning!" Hermione said brightly.

"You can put your stuff in the back hall," Mr. Granger said. Harry took his stuff to the said location and came back into the kitchen.

"I think Ron'll probably be down in a few minutes," Harry said. Sure enough, in less than five minutes, a very sleepy looking Ron Weasley came downstairs. He, too, put his stuff in the back hall, and sat down to eat breakfast.

"Morning Ron!" Hermione said. Ron nodded sleepily and reached for the box of Coco Crispies. Harry laughed and put another spoonful of the cereal into his mouth. All of them were eating the same kind, and after three bowls of the chocolate yummy-ness, Ron looked a little more alive.

After they finished, Ron and Harry helped Hermione wash the dishes. Then they went into the living room and watched The World Wizard Network, until they left at 8:45. Mrs. Granger had to go to work, so Mr. Granger was taking them. It was pouring rain, so he didn't put the top down on the convertible. In the car, Ron slept in the front seat, while Hermione read a book. Harry, however, after trying to watch the scenery fly by outside the window, found himself studying Hermione. She seemed a lot different than before. She didn't seem like the little girl who criticized their every flaw; or the girl who got petrified outside of the library; or the girl who signed up for two many classes and had to use a time tuner to get to the all; or even the girl who organized the House Elf Liberation Front. No, there was decidedly something very different about Hermione. Sure, Harry had noticed before. In fact, he'd seen the change in her as soon as she knocked on the door to pick him up earlier that summer. He had begun to wonder if, perhaps, he wanted to be more than friends. Deciding not to broad on it, he turned back to the window.

Hermione looked up from her book. She had seen Harry watching her out of the corner of her eye. Honestly, she didn't care. If she'd wanted to be brutally honest, she'd have admitted that she liked it. After all, she did. She supposed that she'd always liked him, but it had taken Rita Skeeter's stupid article to get her to see it. Unfortunately, she knew that Harry liked Cho Chang. She had seen how he looked at her, too. She had hoped that Harry would like her after she was with Viktor Krum. However, looking back on it, she realized that this plan had been childish, and it was cruel to Viktor. She glanced at Harry again. He was very handsome. Sure, he'd always been good looking, but now, with his slightly muscular build, due to Quidditch, and his roughed up hair. As Harry turned back away from the window, Hermione turned her attention to her book.

After the hour-and-a-half long drive, they reached King's cross. Mr. Granger was running late for an appointment, so he helped them load their stuff onto trolleys, said good-bye, and drove off. As they entered the station, the clock read 10:15. The place was bustling with Muggles, so they had to be careful getting through the barrier. They walked towards it while laughing and talking, and, as soon as the coast was clear, they went through. However, as soon as they cleared it, they realized something was horribly wrong.

"Where's the train?" Ron asked. 

"Maybe we missed it," Harry said. However, looking around, he spotted many other Hogwarts students. "Or maybe it's just late."

"Just late? It's never been late! It says so in _Hogwarts: A History_! It has arrived promptly at 6:55 am every year since the invention of the steam engine!" Hermione said.

"Well, it's probably just a fluke. I mean, the train is pretty old," Ron said. 

"Hey Ron!" Fred said. He had just come onto the platform with George. They both stopped dead however, when they saw the absence of the Hogwarts Express.

"Where's the train?" George asked. Hermione was about to answer when there was a crash of metal. Fred and George hadn't bothered to move out of the way of the barrier, and Ginny had crashed into them when she had come through with their parents. They all tried to help them pick up their stuff, and they moved slightly away from the barrier. Ginny left to talk to some of her friends.

"Why did you stop right in front of the barrier?" Mrs. Weasley asked testily. Then she, too, saw the missing train. "Arthur! The train; it's not here!" Mr. Weasley looked at the tracks.

"Well, that's odd. It's never been late before. I wonder if the Ministry knows about this," Mr. Weasley mused. He turned to his wife. "Molly, I think we should apparate over there and ask." Mrs. Weasley nodded. Then, as if an idea occurred to her she turned to the twins.

"Don't get into any trouble!" she ordered. Then she smiled. "Have a good year, dears." She apparated away, as did Mr. Weasley.

"Now do we _ever _cause trouble?" Fred asked innocently. They all laughed.

"Of course not!" a girl said from behind them.

"Hi Angelina!" Fred said, giving his girlfriend a hug. 

"Don't I get one?" Katie asked George. He obliged and added a kiss on the cheek.

"Honestly, you guys!" Alicia said as she walked up.

"Oh, you're just jealous because Lee isn't here yet!" Angelina declared.

"I am now!" Lee Jordan said. "Hello, Alicia!" He gave his girlfriend a peck on the cheek.

"There, now we're even," Alicia said. They all laughed again.

"Are you all ready for another Quidditch season?" Oliver Wood asked as he joined them.

"Of course Wood!" the Weasley twins exclaimed.

"You know it!" Angelina, Katie and Alicia said.

"Harry?" Oliver asked, turning to Harry. "We need our Seeker to be ready, too."

"I am," Harry declared.

"And I'll be providing the best commentary yet!" Lee Jordan determined. Then he noticed something. "Hey, how come the train's not here?"

"We dunno," Fred said.

"Has it ever been late before?" Angelina asked Hermione. Hermione was, after all notorious fro knowing everything about Hogwarts. 

"No, it hasn't," Hermione said, shaking her head.

"Not ever?" Alicia asked, sounding slightly alarmed. Hermione shook her head again.

"Well, that's not good," Katie said.

"Don't worry, though. Our mum and dad just apparated over to the Ministry. They'll no doubt have the problem fixed," George declared.

"Well-" Oliver Wood began. However, he had unfortunately made the same mistake as the twins: he'd parked his trolley right in front of the barrier. And, at that moment he was leaning on the trolley, which was locked in place. Now, granted, if someone had been walking slowly through the barrier, they _might _have been able to stop before running into him. Unfortunately, the person who just came through wasn't walking. She was running top speed., and she had just crashed into Oliver's trolley. She was worse off, however, because, at the last second she had tried to turn her trolley, resulting in hers flipping onto it's side, dumping all of its contents, and causing her to trip, while Oliver's had just skidded in a 90° angle making his broom fall off, and him almost lose his balance. 

After recovering from the shock, Oliver looked at the girl.

"Are you ok?" he asked.

"Yeah," she got up and righted her trolley. "I'm sorry I ran into you," she said sheepishly. She looked like she was probably his age. She had long dyed dark strawberry blonde hair, which was pulled back in a partial ponytail. She was wearing dark sunglasses.

"I shouldn't have been blocking the path," Oliver answered, his eyes never leaving the girl. She sighed and bent down to pick up her stuff. Oliver picked up his broom and replaced it on his trolley. Then he bent down to help her. As he picked up a paper and handed it to her, her sunglasses fell off, revealing eyes that were exactly the same color as Sirius's only not as haunted or sunken in. As he looked into her eyes, it clicked with Oliver who she was. She obviously realized that he knew, because now the only emotion in her eyes was fear. She hastily put her sunglasses in her purse.

"I'm Oliver Wood," Oliver said, extending a hand. The girl shook it.

"I'm Mara Black," she said quietly. She was wearing the forced smile that looked real except that it didn't reach her eyes. "Thank you for helping me."

"Oh it was no trouble at all," Oliver said. "These are my friends by the way. That's Fred Weasley, Angelina Johnson, George Weasley, Katie Bell, Lee Jordan, Alicia Spinnet, Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger." He pointed to every one of them as he said their name. Her eyes flashed in comprehension as he pointed to Harry. Harry wondered if she'd heard from her father, but he wasn't going to ask.

"It's nice to meet you," she said. She looked like she was getting more comfortable. However, she suddenly spotted someone behind them and she paled. "Um, I have to go get on the train." She hurried off.

"But it's not-" Hermione said. However, as they turned around, they saw that the train was there.

"Weird," Hermione said. The conductor stepped out of the train.

"So sorry for the hold up!" he said. "We ran into an obstacle in the tracks. Now hurry up and load the train!" The students scampered to get on. Harry, Ron, and Hermione got into the last compartment. It was later, as the train was finally pulling out of the station, at 11:36 no less, that they had the chance to discuss the events that had just occurred. Ron, unfortunately, was sleeping again.

"Harry," Hermione asked, noticing Harry's silent attitude. "What's the matter?"

"I was about to ask her why her father never told me that he had a daughter. She's gotta know!"

"Harry-" Hermione tried to say.

"But she suddenly took off! I bet she knew I was going to ask."

"Harry-"

"That's gotta be why she took off!"

"Harry!" Hermione virtually yelled. Ron sleepily opened one eye.

"Could you keep it down?" he muttered. Then he returned to sleeping.

"It wasn't you she was running from," Hermione said quietly.

"What do you mean? It had to be me," Harry said, looking slightly confused.

"Harry, she saw something," Hermione said. "Or more, likely, someone."

"Who?"

"I don't know!" Hermione declared. She sighed. "It was probably someone who she wasn't expecting. Or maybe someone who reminded her of someone she wasn't expecting."

"So you think she's hiding something." It was a statement rather than a question.

"No. Maybe. I don't know! I just think that she was scared. I mean, you saw her. She looked scared after her sunglasses slipped, but then, after Oliver introduced her to all of us, she seemed to calm down a little. She was probably afraid we were going to dislike her because she's Sirius's daughter. It wasn't until just after that that she looked even more scared than before."

"She was looking behind us," Harry mused. He tried to think who was there. "Wait! What did she say in that interview on the World Wizard Network? About her ex-boyfriend." Hermione bit her bottom lip in concentration. For a second, Harry forgot about his problem as he thought that she looked really cute like that. 

"She said that he was a Slytherin, that his parents had been Death Eaters-" her eyes lit up. "And so was his uncle!"

"Draco was behind us!" Harry declared. Hermione began to rummage through her stuff. "What are you looking for?"

"This!" she exclaimed, holding up a copy of a Muggle teen magazine with Mara on the cover. Hermione rapidly turned the pages until she reached a picture of Mara and her ex in a scene from _Witches of England. _She gasped and showed the picture to Harry.

"He looks a lot like Draco," Hermione commented. Kevin Edwards was a pale looking young man with really light blonde hair. However in the picture he looked nice. He was smiling at Mara. Hermione got out another magazine. 

"Now, look at this one," Hermione said. In this picture it showed Kevin in a fighting stance. He looked ruthless. 

"Now that is more Malfoy-ish," Harry commented. Hermione took the magazines and put them away. "So you think that Mara saw Malfoy and thought that he looked like Kevin?"

"Well, wouldn't it be spooky for her to see someone who's probably related to her ex? After all, he wasn't the nicest guy, obviously," Hermione stated. 

"I guess," Harry said. Suddenly, the lights went out and Harry was reminded of the incident in third year with the Dementor. Then the train jerked to a stop and Hermione was thrown across the seat, onto Harry. Ron fell on the floor, and the lights came back on dimly. Ron looked up at Harry and Hermione.

"Well, don't you two look snug?" he teased. Hermione blushed and tried to stand up. However, her foot was caught under some luggage so all she managed to do was turn around and land sitting on Harry's lap. Harry put his arms on her waist to steady her almost as a reflex. As soon as he realized what he'd done, he they were both blushing. Ron snickered. 

"Ron, can you just move the dang trunk!" Hermione said, sounding testy. Actually, if she hadn't been so embarrassed, she'd have rather enjoyed the position she was in. Harry found himself liking it too. He hadn't removed his arm from her waist yet. When he realized this, he did remove it though. Unfortunately, just then the door to the compartment slid open. 

"Well, well, don't you and the Mudblood look comfy Potter?" Draco said. Earning a glare from the blushing Hermione. 

"Oh, shut up Malfoy!" Harry said. "The train stopped just a second ago and-"

"She was thrown onto you. How convenient for you," Malfoy said, still sounding as sleazy as ever. They heard other sniggering in the background. Crabbe and Goyle had obviously followed their leader here.

"Well, we'll just leave you here then. Weasley, were you about to give them some privacy? Because I'm sure Lavender Brown would love for you to visit her in her compartment." Still laughing, Malfoy and his minions left. 

Ron kicked the trunk out of the way, and Hermione sat down next to Harry. Ron sat across from them.

"You know, you two were funny until he thought that it was," Ron declared.

"Ron, what was he saying about Lavender Brown?" Hermione asked. She was still blushing and wanted to focus the attention elsewhere. 

"Well-um," Ron stammered. "Lavender lives close by and well, I ran into her in town the other day. She came over and played Quidditch with me, Fred, George, Angelina, and Katie."

"Oh really," Harry said, raising an eyebrow. "Is that all?"

"Well, she stayed to dinner, too, and she came over a couple of times after that. I don't know how Malfoy found out though," Ron said, looking uncomfortable.

"You know those Malfoys always poking their noses where they don't belong," Hermione said. "Hey we're moving again!" The train had started to slowly move onward and the lights returned to their full brightness. Ron yawned.

"Well, I'm going back to sleep," he said, promptly laying down. Hermione rolled her eyes, and looked at Harry, only to find that he was looking at her. Only it wasn't his usual "friend" look. It was though he was seeing her differently. For some reason, Hermione felt uncomfortable. Luckily, just then, the door opened, and Fred, George, and Oliver came in.

"So how are you children doing?" Fred said, doing his best Percy imitation.

"Oh just great," Harry said. "Do you know why the train stopped?"

"Nope. We're in the next car up and all that we know is that it created a very tight moment in our compartment. Lucky for Wood, he was off trying to find-" George was stopped mid sentence by Oliver jabbing him in the stomach. Harry raised an eyebrow. However, he pretended to ignore the last part of the phrase.

"Tight moment?" he asked.

"Well, we had six people in our compartment because Oliver was off searching, so we were all kinda thrown together," Fred explained.

"Well, some of us were kinda close before the stop, but after it all of us were all one jumble mess," George added. He looked around the compartment. "From what Malfoy was yelling it sounded like you had the same predicament." Hermione blushed again. 

"Guys why are you here anyway?" Harry asked. He'd seen how Hermione was blushing.

"Well, Lee went to go see what had happened and so the girls decided to change. They threw us out. Then we met Wood in the hall," George said.

"He said that he was looking for a certain movie star who's on the train," Fred said, earning a glare from Oliver. "And so we said that we'd come ask you if you'd seen her."

"No we haven't," Harry said. 

"Sorry," Hermione added.

"You like Mara Astri?" Ron asked. He'd obviously had just woken up. "You guys make more noise than Pig!" he added angrily, referring to his hyperactive owl.

"Yep, Wood-" Fred was once again silenced by Oliver.

"Well, we'd better be leaving then. We've still gotta change. You should too," Oliver said. Then, half dragging the twins out of there, he left.

"That was funny. And it definitely beats you two out. I don't think I've ever seen Wood have a crush on anyone!" Ron declared, chuckling. "Speaking of Snuffles' daughter, why did she hurry off?"

Harry and Hermione quickly explained about why they thought she had left. However, as soon as they finished, the lights went out again. Ron cursed. 

"That's it! I'm going into the lavatory and changing," Hermione said testily. While she was gone, Harry and Ron put on their robes over their clothes. However, when Hermione came back, the lights were still off, and the train was still stopped. However, after about another five minutes, the lights turned back on, but the train was still stationary. 

"What's gotten into this train?" Harry asked testily. "I know it's old but this is ridiculous!"

"I know what you mean," Ron said. The lights dimmed. "That's it! I'm going back to sleep!" He laid down again.

"I'm going to go see if anyone knows what's going on," Harry said, standing up. "Wanna come?"

"Sure," Hermione said. They left the compartment carrying their wands. All of the doors in their train car were closed. However, when they reached the second car they heard an argument coming from the second last compartment. It was right next to Fred and George's, which was obvious because they were obviously listen in.

"Who's fighting?" Hermione asked.

"We don't know. We don't even know who's in there. We thought that it was only one person, but obviously someone else is paying a little visit," George said. Hermione and Harry stepped closer to the door.

"I told you before! I am never going to go out with you again!" a girl shouted.

"You will! I told you, my uncle will kill your Mudblood mother and your escaped convict father if you don't!" a boy said.

"Oh no! Uncle Lucius is going to sick his fellow Deatheaters on them! He wouldn't! He doesn't even know where they are!" the girl, who was now clearly Mara, yelled. "Oh I'm so scared. And you're obviously a coward because you can't fight your own battles. If pure blood means anything in Slytherins, it means they're stuck up sons of-" Suddenly, the sound of a slap was heard. Hermione gasped. There was silence.

"You don't know what you're talking about you stupid girl. I'm the best guy you'll ever get!"

"Ha! Yeah, right. I'm sorry, but even if that were true, I'd rather be single forever than go out with you!" Another slap followed this declaration.

"Shut up you-" he followed this statement with two not so nice words.

"I won't! What are you going to kill me? I dare you! See what happens to you then!"

"Listen, girl! You're just a little actress," the boy, said with a laugh. "I won't kill you yet, but if I ever see you talking to another boy like you were earlier, you'll be sorry."

"You don't run my life!" Mara declared. This obviously wasn't the best thing to say, because at this point, a series of blows could be heard. 

Just then, they noticed Oliver Wood. He had came out of the door at the other end of the car, and had obviously heard at least part of the argument. He charged up to the door and pushed it open. A very interesting sight met their eyes. In the compartment were Mara, and her ex-boyfriend Kevin. Although it seemed that the slaps had been delivered by Kevin, for Mara had a horrible red mark on her face and a couple of bruises forming on her arms, Kevin seemed to be worse off at the moment. As the door opened, Mara issued a well-placed punch to his nose, followed by one to stomach and a kick to his groin. He already had a black eye. As he keeled over in pain, Mara pushed him into the hall. It was then that she noticed the spectators to her little scuffle.

"Um, hi," she said, with a nervous laugh.

TBC…

A/N: Well, that's chapter two. I hoped you liked it. I'm sorry there wasn't a lot of Harry and Hermione, but I can't have them suddenly kissing and stuff. After all, they're just realizing that they like each other more than they thought. I also had to pair Ron off because he's a good kid and well, I didn't want him to have to hard feeling about the whole Harry/Hermione thing. Thank you again to peppermintpatty, Alexis-Lee, Lyssa, Damia, MissLexiRe, Micadimackidimoo, and HexWa. You're great and if I had cookies, I'd give them to you. Please continue to read! More things to come.


	3. Only a Little Information

A/N: Thanks to all the people who reviewed. Please check the Author's note, which is right before this chapter. It has some questions that I need to ask you. It also says that I have changed Oliver Woods age. If you'd like me to stop my age meddling and find a new way to get him into the story, please tell me in a review. I'd like to give a big thank you to Theta Sigma for helping me correct all of my vocabulary problems. I know that this story isn't exactly accurate in that aspect. Anyway, thanks for reading! I hope you like this chapter.

Disclaimer: Don't own anything that's not mine.

**__**

Chapter 3

Only a Little Information

Mara looked at the people in the hallway outside her compartment. Angelina and Katie had rushed out into the hall when they'd heard the noise. 

"Um, hi," Mara said. Everyone was stunned. They were all trying to piece together what had happened. The train was still stopped. Finally, Fred broke the silence.

"That was great!" he declared.

"It had to be one of the best fights I've ever witnessed!" George said in agreement. Harry nodded.

"Are you ok?" Hermione asked. Mara nodded. Angelina and Katie spotted Kevin on the floor.

"Is that Kevin Edwards?" Angelina asked in disgust, pointing at him. He was obviously in pain and was trying to keep the blood from running out of his nose.

"Yep, that's him," Mara said, shaking her head.

"He doesn't look nearly as cute up close," Katie said.

"He looks like Malfoy," Oliver said. Mara looked up, as though suddenly realizing he was there. She looked a little scared, as though she though he'd dislike her now because she so crudely beat up some guy. She'd just been getting comfortable, with the others acting like nothing was wrong. It was pretty obvious Mara didn't like it when anyone thought badly of her. To put her at ease, Oliver smiled.

"So where'd you learn to fight like that anyway?" he asked. Mara relaxed slightly.

"My dad taught me," Mara said. Then, she gasped, realizing what she'd said. On the floor, Kevin laughed.

"So you have seen him since he escaped!" Kevin declared. Mara glared at him, and she kicked him.

"No don't be so violent Mara, or you'll end up just like Daddy," Kevin said mockingly.

"First of all, Sirius is innocent!" Harry said. "And secondly, how does Sirius teaching her to fight prove that Mara has seen him?" Kevin laughed again.

"Well, well, if it isn't Harry Potter. I'll tell you why: she was three when he was captured! Have you ever seen a three year old who was able to learn how to fight?" Kevin let out another evil cackle. Mara rolled her eyes and kicked him again. He stopped laughing.

"Um, I'm sorry I just burst into your compartment like that," Oliver said in an embarrassed voice.

"Oh, that's ok. Don't worry about it," Mara said in a nonchalant voice. Just then, there was an interruption.

"What's going on?" Draco Malfoy said, coming through the door leading to the next car with his goons. "Having a fight with your Mudblood friends, Potter?" He saw Kevin and stopped.

"Kevin? What are you doing here?" he asked, sounding annoyed, confused and a little scared all at once. Kevin laughed again.

"Surprised to see me, cousin? Uncle Lucius said you would be. Don't worry, everything will be explained at Hogwarts," Kevin said evilly. Draco glared at him. 

"What happened to you, anyway?" he asked.

"Well, I was minding mine own business when they-" he pointed at all the other people, "-attacked me. Obviously it wasn't a fair fight."

"You wish!" Mara said. Draco looked up at her, immediately recognizing her.

"You're Mara Astri!" he exclaimed. Then something clicked in his brain. "_You_ beat up Kevin!" Mara raised an eyebrow. 

"Um, who are you?" she asked. Normally, Draco got really miffed when someone didn't know who he was, but right now he didn't seem to care.

"I'm Draco Malfoy, and these two are Crabbe and Goyle." He laughed. "Good job, by the way, for beating up my cousin!"

"Draco! Why are you talking to her?" Kevin whined.

"Because she was smart enough to dump you. Plus she just beat you up! That makes her my new favorite person," Draco declared. However, by the look on Kevin's face, he was going to regret that remark.

"I think that Draco has issues with his cousin," Harry whispered to Hermione, who nodded. 

"Wait, you mean, _you're _Lucius Malfoy's son?" Mara asked, sounding slightly surprised. Draco nodded. 

"Edwards, are you ok?" Marcus Flint, the Slytherin Captain, said coming out of a nearby compartment. They all turned to face him.

"Oh, just great! I just had my nose broken by her!" he yelled, pointing at Mara. Flint smirked evilly and looked Mara up and down in a not-so-good way. Mara shivered and stepped behind Oliver. Sure, she could easily handle fighting Kevin one-on-one but that was only because she knew how he fought. Plus, she really didn't like the way that guy was eyeing her. Flint laughed. 

"Well, Wood, it looks like you've got yourself a new girlfriend," Flint said smirking evilly. "A nice catch I think, although she is just a murderer's daughter, and an _actress_. Although I'm sure she's good for something," he added suggestively. Oliver looked like he was going to punch him, but he stopped himself. After all, it wasn't worth getting in trouble. However, as Flint passed by after helping Kevin up, he turned to Mara.

"Oh, and Black, if you ever want to have any fun with a real-" he shut up quickly though as he was hit by four different curses, and a punch. Two other Slytherin Quidditch team members came to carry away him and Kevin. 

"He has a really hard jaw," Oliver commented, shaking his hand. He had punched him while Harry, Fred, George, and Angelina had cursed him. Draco, Crabbe and Goyle left laughing.

"You know, this reminds me of that time on the train last year," Fred began. Angelina and Katie rolled their eyes.

"Sorry Mara, but we'd better leave. If we have to hear that story again, we're going to hurt them. We'll see you later, though, right?" Angelina said.

"Sure," Mara smiled slightly. Angelina and Katie went back inside their compartment. 

"Well, we'd better be heading back to our compartment, too," Harry said. "We left Ron asleep in there."

"I'd better go too," Mara said, turning towards her compartment. 

"See you later," Hermione said. However, just then the train started again and threw her backwards into Harry. Fred and George fell against the wall. There was also a wall behind Harry, so, when Hermione was thrown into him, they landed against the wall. Mara was thrown off balance and would have surely fallen to the ground, if not for Oliver. His Keeper reflexes allowed him to catch her and basically keep his balance. However, he did have both arms around her waist. Harry also had his arms around Hermione. For a second everyone was in shock. Then, Fred and George burst out laughing. Oliver let go of Mara who quickly stepped away and crossed her arms. Harry reluctantly let go of Hermione.

"I wish Creevey had been here!" Fred said, still chortling. 

"That would've been a great picture," George said in agreement. Mara rolled her eyes, Hermione blushed and Oliver and Harry glared. 

"You two should really stop," Angelina said, coming back out into the hall.

"We could easily tell them some interesting things about you," Katie added mischievously.

"Well we're going to go back now," Hermione said.

"See you later," Mara said. Harry and Hermione left. Katie turned to Mara.

"Hey, would you mind if Alicia, Angelina and I came and hung out with you for the rest of the ride? We're getting sick of those two blabbing," Katie said.

"Sure," Mara said. "You can tell me all about Hogwarts." They agreed, and everyone went to their respective compartments.

Finally, the train arrived at Hogwarts. Harry looked for Hagrid, who shouldn't have been hard to spot, due to his large size. Unfortunately, he wasn't there.

"First years, please come this way!" Professor McGonagall said, coming into view. She stopped by Harry, Hermione and a now very awake Ron. He had woken up about five minutes before they were to arrive at Hogwarts, and they had told him all about what had happened earlier. He had seemed very confused by the fact that Draco seemed to dislike his cousin more than them. 

"Potter, Professor Dumbledore wants to talk to you after the feast," McGonagall said.

"Professor, where's Hagrid?" Hermione asked.

"It will all be explained later, Miss Granger," she said simply. Then she walked over to Mara who was talking with Alicia, Katie, and Angelina. She said something and Mara nodded.

"First years, please follow me!" McGonagall yelled. The first years obliged. The horseless carriages pulled up and they all got inside. Harry, Hermione and Ron got in one with Parvati and Lavender.

"Hi Ron!" Lavender said brightly as they sat down. 

"Hi, how have you been?" Ron asked.

"Oh, pretty good. What about you?" she asked. "I mean, I haven't seen you since July!"

"Well, I'm good," Ron answered. Then they all talked about the summer and what they had done or where they'd gone. Before they knew it, they were heading into the Great Hall.

Harry looked at the staff table as everyone waited for the first years to come in. He noticed that some on the places were noticeably vacant. Hagrid, Snape and a few of the other teachers were not there. However, Harry did notice a man sitting at the table who looked like he could be Dumbledore's brother. He, like Dumbledore, had a long silver-white beard and long silver-white hair. As the first years came in the ceremony started. Harry watched as people sat down at their respective tables, and, as he did, he saw that a lot of students were missing as well.

Finally, all the new students were sorted.

"Now I have a few start of term announcements. First of all, as I'm sure some of our older students have noticed, certain teachers are missing, as is our caretaker, Mr. Filch. This is, I'm sure you can guess, because of events that occurred last year. Now, this means that some teachers will be shouldering more classes. However, I was able to find someone willing to take up the position as Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. This is my close friend, and a very great wizard, Gandalf the White. He came all the way here from the Undying Lands and he is quite exhausted. Many of you have no doubt heard of his part in defeating the Dark Lord Sauron during the war of the Ring, as portrayed in the works of Tolkein. Well, he is now your teacher. Also, some of his friends may be visiting soon. Also, I'm sure that you have seen two new seventh years in our midst. You no doubt recognize them as Mara Astri, the famous actress and singer, who is now seated with the Gryffindors, and Kevin Edwards, the actor, who is sitting with Slytherin. They will be joining us this year." Whispering voices swept through the room. Many people turned to look at Mara, while some were looking at Kevin. "Now, let the feast begin!"

The food, of course, was wonderful. After eating, Harry, Hermione and Ron stood up.

"Dumbledore needs to speak with you," McGonagall said to them as they got ready to leave the Hall. 

"What do you think he has to say?" Ron asked.

"I don't know. It's probably about this whole Volde- er I mean you-know-who thing," Harry said. As they neared Dumbledore's office, they passed Mara coming from that way. She hurried on and they approached the Gargoyles guarding Dumbledore's office. 

"Chocolate Covered Crayfish," Harry said. The Gargoyle moved out of the way and Harry, Hermione and Ron hurried inside. Fawkes was perched on Dumbledore's chair.

"Good, you're here. Now, please sit down," Dumbledore said kindly. They sat down. "I am sure there are many questions you all have to ask. However, I cannot answer all of them. Please understand," Dumbledore held up hand to stop Harry from interrupting. "I want to tell you some things, but I do not know how to explain them. I will do my best, however."

"Professor, where's Sirius? I've gotten letters from him, but now where is he?" Harry asked.

"He is staying with Remus Lupin, as I asked him to last year. Where Lupin is, I do not know. I can see you have more questions however. Go on, ask," Dumbledore said kindly. 

"Why didn't anyone tell me that Sirius had a daughter?" Harry blurted out. No one looked surprised that he'd asked. 

"I believe that you'll have to ask Mara to answer that."

"Why is she here, anyway?" Hermione asked. "I mean, I'm not complaining about her being here but why is she?"

"She is having some issues with people close to her. Her father suggested that she should come here. She's actually a British citizen, even though she's lived most of her life in the US. Her mother, if you recall, was a great star in the Theater. That is how Mara got into the business."

"But that doesn't quite explain why she's here, though, really," Hermione said.

"She had to get away," Dumbledore said simply. 

"But why did you let Kevin Edwards come here, if Mara was coming? From what Mara said, he's just like Lucius. On the train he even seemed worse than Draco," Harry said pointedly.

"Mara, if I may say so, seemed to handle herself very skillfully against Mr. Edwards," Dumbledore said, his eyes twinkling.

"Yes but that was when he was on his own. Now he's got allies!" Harry declared.

"Like Malfoy," Ron added. 

"I think Draco would give up hair gel rather than help Kev. They hate each other," Hermione said. The others, except Dumbledore, looked at her skeptically. "You saw Draco! He didn't even bother to insult us after he spotted his cousin! And," Hermione added. "I was talking about Flint and those other Slytherin Quidditch guys. Mara seemed more afraid of them than of Kevin."

"I see that Hermione understands something you two gentlemen have yet to see. However, that is for you to figure out on your own. "Now Harry, I believe you have some other questions as well."

"But why didn't Sirius tell _me _about Mara?" Harry asked. "I wasn't a threat. Plus it seems a lot of people knew anyways."

"You will have to ask Mara. She knows more about this than I do. After all, it concerns things that even Sirius might not be able to explain." Everyone was silent for a moment.

"Professor Dumbledore, where's Hagrid?" Harry asked.

"He's out on an assignment from me, as is Snape and a few of the other teachers. Filch is off on some personal business. That is all I can say. Now, I suggest that all of you go and get some rest. Tomorrow is a new year. You can ask Mara your questions then."

They all left the office. "Come on, maybe Mara's still in the common room," Harry said. They started walking. However, as they passed a deserted classroom they heard raised voices.

TBC…

A/N: Well, that's chapter 3. I hope you like it. I'll be writing more soon. (I hope). After all, the school year's almost over! 


	4. Interesting Developments

Disclaimer: Don't own anything that's not mine.

A/N: Here's chapter 4! I hope you like it.

**__**

Chapter 4

Interesting Developments

Harry, Hermione, and Ron paused outside the door to listen. They weren't planning on it but they had recognized the voices immediately. The door was opened slightly. A reddish-orange glow came from the room, revealing that the fire was lit. 

"I can't believe this! Why would my father tell them to replace me with you?!" Draco whined.

"Because I'm everything you're not!" Kevin said. "I'm more like your father than you could ever hope to be!"

"I don't believe he did this. I want to talk to him."

"Then talk Draco," Lucius' voice joined the other two, as the firelight turned green. This was signaling that Lucius was contacting them by making his head appear in the fireplace, much as Sirius had done to talk to Harry last year. A hush fell over those assembled. Even outside the room, everything seemed even more silent than before.

"Father, is it true?"

"Is what true Draco? I really don't have time for this. I have a lot of work to do," Lucius sounded very bored with his son.

"Did you really tell Flint to cut me from the team so Kevin could be Seeker?" Draco sounded very distraught.

"Of course I did. You must understand that he has so much more potential than you. Especially since I heard that you fancy a certain very low class Muggle-lover," Lucius seemed discussed by the very thought.

"What are you talking about?" Draco asked, alarmed.

"Why that Weasley girl. The one who foiled Uncle Lucius's plan three years ago. You know, the head of the Potter fan club?" Kevin chimed in. He sounded like a cat that had just trapped a mouse. " I _saw_ you watching her at the feast today."

"That ferret likes my sister?" Ron whispered angrily. He followed this comment by a string of not so nice words. Hermione and Harry shushed him.

"But-" Draco said.

"Now, Draco, you must understand that I can't have you spoiling all of the well-thought-out plots of the Dark Lord because you fancy one of Potter's little friends. Kevin is much more ready for the job."

"But what about Mara? You don't think him fancying her will ruin anything," Draco said pointedly. Lucius and Kevin let out identical evil laughs.

"Cousin, you thought that I really fancied **filth** like her? Uncle Lucius asked me to watch her. How was I to know that her father never came to visit her at her house because her parents are divorced? I know that those types of girls are only good for a little while," Kevin said suggestively. Draco didn't say anything. 

"Draco, you can still recover yourself if you prove to me that you're worthy of helping me. I'll be here if you decide. Now I must return to my duties. Kevin, you know what you must do," The firelight turned back to normal.

"Come on," Hermione said. "We have to leave before they come out." They hurried to the Gryffindor common room. It was filled with other students, who were laughing and talking. However, Mara was suspiciously absent. Ron said he was tired and headed up to go to sleep.

"Hey Fred," Harry said, coming up to the Weasley twins. "Have you seen Mara?"

"Nope. Wood was looking for her earlier, but she's not here," Fred said. He went back to talking to George and Lee Jordan. 

"We'll just have to ask her tomorrow," Hermione said.

"But why wouldn't she be here?" Harry asked. "Maybe she's-" Just then Mara walked in. They had never actually taken the time to look at her. She wasn't very tall, maybe only 163 cm tall (about 5'4"), and she was by no means stunning. She wasn't ugly, but she wouldn't have probably won a beauty contest. Her hair was really a dirty blonde color, with strawberry blonde highlights that looked kind of dried out. However, her personality that made her seem pretty. 

"Hey, where were you?" Angelina asked.

"Oh, I had to talk to Professor Dumbledore," Mara said. Harry and Hermione exchanged a glance. They knew that this was only half-true. She had obviously been to talk to Dumbledore, considering they'd seen her leave, but she had left before them. 

"Come on, sit with us for a while," Alicia said. Mara yawned.

"Um, I'm really tired. I'd better just go up to bed," she said.

"Well, ok. See you tomorrow then," Katie said. She turned back to talk to Angelina and Alicia. Mara headed towards the stairs leading up to the dorms. Hermione looked at Harry.

"Now's our chance! C'mon!" They hurried to catch up to her. 

"Mara wait!" Hermione said. Mara turned.

"We have to ask you something," Harry said.

"Not-"

"Mara, why didn't Sirius tell us about you?" Harry interrupted. Mara seemed taken aback. She kept silent, however.

"Please Mara, tell us," Hermione urged. 

"It's too complicated!" she finally said.

"Then where were you before you came here?" Harry asked. "We know you weren't in Dumbledore's office because we were just there."

"I was sending an owl to my father," Mara said. "I had to tell him that Kevin was here. Otherwise he'd throw a fit if he heard it from someone else. Look, he's going to contact me tonight at 3:30 am. You can ask him why he didn't tell you about me yourself then. Now I have to get some rest. I have a severe case of Jet lag." She hurried inside her room. 

"Are we going to go?" Hermione asked. Harry nodded.

"I have to talk to Sirius. What time is it anyway?" Harry asked. The clock read 9:27. "I'm going to get some rest first."

"Ok, I know a charm that can make it so you wake up at a certain time. It's silent," Hermione said. "I'll cast it on myself. Then I'll send Crookshanks to wake you and Ron up."

"Alright. See you later," Harry said with a smile. Hermione went to her dorm and Harry went to his. 

At 3:26, Harry was woken up by the sound of a motor. Actually, as soon as he opened his eyes and put on his glasses, he saw that it was Crookshanks purring. He got up.

"Hey Ron!" he said quietly. Ron woke up immediately. 

"What?"

"Why are you so jumpy?" Harry asked. Ron shrugged. "I think you've been sleeping too much."

"Is that possible?" Ron asked quizzically.

"I don't know. Come on, we have to meet Hermione and Mara down in the common room," Harry said. The two boys quietly hurried to the aforementioned destination. Mara was sitting in front of the fireplace already. Hermione was there with her.

"Took you two long enough," Hermione said. "He's going to be here any minute." Suddenly Sirius's head appeared in the fireplace.

"Mara, I knew something like this would happen!" Sirius asked. "I shouldn't have sent you there. Hello Harry." Sirius had spotted his godson.

"Hi Sirius," Harry answered.

"Dad, you know that it would have only gotten worse if I'd stayed," Mara said. "I couldn't stand all the mean things that _his _family kept saying about you! Mom didn't even deny any of it either!"

"Mara, I don't think this is the time for that," Sirius said soothingly. "It couldn't have been _that _bad."

"But daddy! They-" Mara was close to crying now, so she stopped.

"Harry, I'm sorry I didn't tell you I had a daughter," Sirius said, turning to Harry. "At the time it sounded like the best idea. Mara was over in the United States anyway, so I never thought you'd meet her."

"Mara, who were you talking about when you said "his family"?" Hermione asked.

"My step-dad. My mom and dad got divorced right before the whole Peter Pettigrew thing. Mom got remarried shortly after that," Mara said this with resentment. "I can't believe her! She convinced me to deny that Sirius Black was my father. She said that considering everyone thought that he was guilty, they would hate me for being related to him. She even tried to get my step-father to adopt me."

"What?" Sirius asked suddenly. This was obviously news to him. "When?"

"After you escaped from Azkaban. I got out of it, though. That's when I was filming _Witches of England. _I couldn't take it anymore. That's when I told Kevin all about who I really was. He was just so supportive that I never even considered that he could actually be related to Lucius Malfoy!" Mara was talking so fast it was becoming hard to follow what she was saying.

"I saw that interview with that Annie May," Sirius said. "And the one with Crystal Cosmos. You did very well. What spell did you put on your hair though? I thought I told you never to do change your appearance with magic." Sirius sounded like he was trying to focus attention away from the important issues.

"Daddy, I only changed it so it didn't look like the dirty blonde it normally does. For the highlights, mommy sent me to a Muggle hair salon," Mara said soothingly. 

"Wait, I don't understand," Ron said. Everyone looked at him. "What you're saying is that your dad and mom are divorced. Your mom's remarried to some guy who hates Sirius, and you came to Hogwarts because you couldn't take it anymore?"

"Well, yeah, I guess," Mara said. "I wanted to come here to begin with, but I also wanted to be an actress. When the opportunity came for me to act, I was in fifth grade. My mom said to go for it. Well, the Wizard school in the US said that if I attended there during the summer and did correspondence when I was working on movies it would be fine. I guess I thought I was choosing the right choice. However, after Dad escaped from Azkaban, that all changed. Before, I just had to endure my mom's new husband and his kids calling me a murderer's daughter. As soon as they found out he escaped, for a while they stopped. I think that they were afraid that he'd come and kill them or something." Mara rolled her eyes. "Then, however, after the Kevin incident, even my mom began hinting that he might be guilty. It was insane! Before she had always said that my father could never kill anyone. When Dad sent me a letter explaining everything, I informed mom that I needed a break from acting. She wasn't too pleased with the idea to send me here, but finally I convinced her it was the right thing."

"But I still don't understand why you didn't tell us that you had a daughter!" Harry declared to Sirius.

"I was trying to protect her. Think about it: Voldemort loves hurting people by hurting their friends and family. I knew that under the watchful eyes of Dumbledore, you were safe. However, Mara was in America. She was an easy target for anyone," Sirius Black looked very angry. "As was obvious by the Kevin Incident-"

"Dad, what's the Order of the Phoenix?" Mara asked suddenly.

"An organization of people who were against Voldemort. When rumors started that he was returning, a few of us at Hogwarts thought that it would be a great idea to start an anti-Voldemort group."

"Do you have to say his name?!" Ron interrupted.

"Sorry. Of course, the Marauders were the ones that lead it. Then a bunch of other people wanted in. Your mother, Harry, Arabella Figg, and many more. A lot of them went on to become Aurors."

"So that's why Dumbledore wanted you to get together 'the old gang'!" Hermione declared.

"Yes. Now, I have to go. Good bye, and try to stay out of trouble," he seemed to almost disappear. However at the last second, his voice returned. "Mara, remember: I'm watching you, so no more dating! We've seen how that works out for you!" With that he was gone. Mara rolled her eyes.

"Typical. He's so overprotective! Well, I'd better get some rest.. Classes start tomorrow," she said as she hurried away.

"She's right, you know. And you two have Divination first thing. I'm so glad I'm out of that class!"

The next morning, the students hurried down to the hall for breakfast. However, before they could eat, Dumbledore stood up.

"I have a few of announcements to make. First of all, Marcus Flint has asked me to announce that he has made a substitution in the Slytherin Quidditch team. Kevin Edwards will now be playing Seeker instead of Draco Malfoy." The Hall buzzed at this news. Draco looked ready to kill. 

"Now, I have a very important announcement. More important than any before." The Hall quieted once more.

"A tragedy has occurred at the American Academy for Gifted Students, which, we all should remember is actually the American school of witchcraft and wizardry." Mara was looking at Dumbledore with a mixture of fear and interest. "My friend Charles Xavier is Headmaster at this school and he has just owled me that yesterday Voldemort sent his Deatheaters to attack the school. The students and Professors escaped through a series of passages leading into the nearby woods. However, the school was destroyed. It is believed that an American Deatheater by the name of William Stryker organized this attack. Anyway, I have informed Professor Xavier that his students are welcome to come here and learn until their school can be rebuilt. I have just received the reply. He says that he will come. He is also bringing his entire staff, which is wonderful considering our lack thereof. However, this brings me to my next announcement." 

"The American students will be arriving on Friday. In honor of their presence, I am going to be organizing some festivities lasting for the full week before the first Quidditch match. I have talked with people from the school and they suggest what they call a "Spirit Week." Usually, they have informed me, these occur before a dance, so on Saturday, after the Quidditch Match, there will be a costume ball. What happens on the other days shall be announced prior to the event. Now, enjoy your breakfast." Of course, this seemed like a lot for the students to take in at once. However, the students had to hurry to get ready for their first classes of the day. Which, for Harry and Ron, was Divination. They hurried up to the classroom. 

"So you have arrived," Professor Trelawny drawled as they entered the classroom. "I am glad to see so many of you are still here despite the events that have occurred." She looked at Harry as she spoke.

"Today, I have been told by my Inner Eye to review with you all of the concepts we have learned thus far." They spent most of the class reviewing. Finally, it was time to head to Defense Against the Dark Arts. The classroom locked when they arrived.

"Harry! Ron!" Hermione said as Harry and Ron approached. "Guess what, due to the lack of teachers they're combining classes. For today, at least, we have this class with the fifth years _and_ fourth years from Slytherin and Gryffindor."

"What?!" Ron said.

"Professor McGonagall told me. She's covering Arithmancy, you know, since Professor Vector left."

"Sorry I'm late," a voice said coming through the crowd. He pointed his staff at the door. "Please, go in." The students filed in. Amazingly, there was enough room for all of them in the classroom.

"I am Gandalf, your new teacher. For today, you can sit where you wish. However, for the next class I would like to mix things up a little. I have put all of your names into this hat which Professor Dumbledore has so kindly let me borrow." He held up the Sorting Hat. "When I call your name, you will come forward and reach into the hat. The name you pick is whom you will be sitting by for the next two weeks." The students looked around, slightly nervous. "I will be saying these names at random. Vincent Crabbe." Crabbe came forward and reached into the hat. He smirked.

"Well, well. You'll be sitting by Gregory Goyle. Right up front please. First table." 

"Now, Colin Creevey." Colin came forward and drew a name. "You will be sitting by Tawny Claza." Tawny was a short glaring Slytherin the same year as Colin. This went on for a while. Pansy Parkinson was going to be sitting by Parvati Patil, Neville was going to be sitting by Millicent Bulstrode, and Dean was going to be sitting by Seamus. A lot of other names were called until only Harry, Hermione, Ron, Lavender, Ginny, Draco, and a few other Slytherin fourth years were left. Gandalf said, "Ronald Weasley." Ron came forward very slowly. He reached into the hat. As he read the name on the piece of parchment, he was trying to hide his grin.

"Ah, Miss Brown. If you and Mr. Weasley would kindly sit in that table there please." Lavender smiled at Ron as he returned to his seat. "Harry Potter." As Harry came towards the hat, he kept thinking to himself, _Please be Hermione, Please be Hermione. _Now, he tried to tell himself that he only was thinking this because she was his best friend, and if Cho had been there. However, his brain didn't seem to believe him. 

"Hermione Granger," Harry read on the paper. 

"Well then, the table next to Mr. Weasley, please." Harry sat back down. Dumbledore cleared his throat.

"Virginia Weasley." Ginny came forward as all the others had done. She felt as though she was being sorted all over again. She reached into the hat and paled considerably as she read the name. She handed the paper to Gandalf.

"Draco Malfoy, if you and Miss Weasley would sit behind Miss Strebor and Miss Nitsirk." Draco rolled his eyes as though irritated with the choice. Ron glared daggers at Malfoy as Ginny returned to her seat. The last few students went through this process. Then Gandalf sat in his chair.

"For the next few lessons I have some speakers coming in who have fought many Dark creatures. They have had many interesting journeys and will be glad to share them with you. That is the end on class."

TBC…

A/N: Ok, so I know that this chapter is less than adequate but there was a lot that I wanted to get across and I wanted to do it as soon as possible. Thank you HexWa and Peppermintpatty for reviewing my last chapter. Also thank you Theta Sigma for Britpicking my story. Please continue to read and feel free to ask me to explain something if you're confused.

Oh, I'd better explain about the whole X-Men thing. See, I really like the second movie so I decided to put them in here. **They are witches and wizards in this, however, not mutants**. Some characters will be out of character if they're from the movie. **And they are the X-Men from X-Men Evolution**, not the comics, or the old cartoon any other way they have appeared, **except for Stryker who's from the movie**. Also, there will be cameos by other people from other fan bases I'm fond of. They won't be as important as the Harry Potter characters, obviously. 


	5. More Revelations

Disclaimer: Don't own anything unless it's mine.

A/N: I'M BACK!!!!!!!! I realize that I've been gone for a few months now, so here's chapter 5. If you want to know why I was gone, then read the author's note after this chapter. Enjoy!

**__**

Chapter 5

More Revelations

"That had to be the best potions class ever!" Ron declared happily as he walked out of the potions dungeon with Harry and Hermione on Thursday afternoon.

"Yeah, Snape wasn't there," Harry agreed. "The Slytherins don't seem so happy." They saw the said group sulking off. 

"Well that's because they managed to get twenty points taken off," Hermione pointed out. They walked towards the Defense Against Dark Arts classroom. 

"Isn't today the day that Gandalf said one of his friends was coming to visit?" Harry asked suddenly. Ron shrugged.

"It is, Mr. Potter," Gandalf said coming up behind him. "My friends are already inside the classroom, as a matter of fact."

"Friends? I thought you said only one was coming?" Hermione asked.

"Well, only one was going to, but he decided to come at a later date. For today these ones are coming. However, we will begin with a small discussion on Mr. Tolkein." With that, Gandalf walked into the classroom. Harry, Ron and Hermione followed and sat down in their assigned seats. They noticed four very short men standing in the front with Gandalf. After everyone arrived, Gandalf began.

"What do you children know about Mr. Tolkein?" he asked. Hermione raised her hand. "Yes, Miss Granger?"

"J.R.R. Tolkein is the author of the Lord of the Rings books, detailing the occurrences of the War of the Ring. Although these facts are thought to be only fiction by Muggles, they are actual occurrences that happened before any other written history. J.R.R Tolkein, although not the strongest wizard, managed to make a name for himself by secretly developing a time-travel mechanism that allowed him to travel to these times to witness and document the events. This caused him to achieve fame in the Muggle world, although a lot of wizards look down on him for being an average professor at a Muggle college," Hermione took a deep breath.

"Very goon Miss Granger. 5 points to Gryffindor. Now can anyone tell me what happened to Tolkein's Time Trekker?" Once again Hermione raised her hand. However, Gandalf decided to ask a different student.

"Miss Weasley, do you know the answer?" he asked quietly. Ginny looked up in alarm. She'd been trying to remain as inconspicuous in this class as possible. After all, she was stuck sitting by Draco. However, she nodded.

"He destroyed it after he finished documenting the events of the War of the Ring," she said quietly. "He didn't want it to fall into the wrong hands." Gandalf smiled.

"Bravo, Miss Weasley. 5 more points to Gryffindor." A few Slytherins grumbled at this. "Now, as this is Defense Against the Dark Arts, I'd like to introduce a few who have fought against dark forces. These are my friends, Frodo Baggins, Sam Gamgee, Pippin Took, and Merry Brandybuck."

"We're Hobbits!" Pippin said proudly.

"They probably know that Pip," Merry declared. Pippin shrugged. Gandalf gave them a stern look.

"Frodo was the ring bearer during the War," Gandalf said. "It was a great evil on it's own." For the rest of the class, the Hobbits and Gandalf talked about the evils they had faced, from Urk-hai and goblins to evil wizards and crazy Gollum, and their journey. 

"I can't believe he's forcing us to write three scrolls on that!" Ron whined. Lavender, who was walking with them laughed.

"Ron, he said to write it on them and the other visitors that will be coming soon!" she said. "It's due after the Winter Holidays. Plus it's mostly our opinion on the events they talked about!" Ron shrugged. 

"Well, it still seems a little much," he declared. 

"I can't believe the Americans are coming tomorrow!" Hermione stated. "I wonder what they'll be like."

"Dumbledore said that they're bringing some new instructors with them," Harry said. "I just hope there's no one like Snape." Hermione nodded in agreement.

Later that night, Ginny Weasley was walking down the hall towards the Gryffindor tower when she heard someone coming from the other direction. Quickly, she hid in a room off to the side. No sooner had she entered the dark room that she heard someone rattle the doorknob. She hid behind a bookcase set slightly away from the wall. Draco Malfoy entered. As he walked up to the fireplace, Lucius's head appeared. 

"What is it Draco? I am doing something very important!" Lucius said in a very irritated voice.

"Father, you asked me to contact you if I found out anything about Mara Black," Draco said bluntly. Lucius smiled.

"Well, well, so I did. What have you discovered?"

"She's meeting her father sometime next month. My sources couldn't tell me where or when, but they did tell me that," Draco said. Ginny was shocked. How could he tell his father this? 

"Well done Draco. Remember to tell me if you discover more." He disappeared for a second. However, he came back. "Oh, and Draco? I certainly hope you put a stop to this silly infatuation for that Muggle-loving Weasley girl. It would look horrible for the family."

"But father, Kevin made that up-"

"Now, now, don't accuse your cousin of such things. He knows you are his ally, but he wants to make sure that you don't make the family look bad. Honestly, even looking twice at someone from that Muggle-loving penniless family is unthinkable."

"Yes father," Draco said, realizing there was no point in arguing with Lucius when he had his mind made up.

"Good." This time when Lucius disappeared, he didn't come back. After a couple seconds of just absently standing there, Draco left the room. 

Ginny was in a state of shock. "Muggle-loving Weasley girl"? That had to be her. But, why had Draco's father said that Draco had to "put a stop to this infatuation"? Oh no! Draco couldn't actually _like_ her. It all had to be some sort of mistake. Shivering slightly, the fourth year girl left the room. This definitely qualified as the weirdest thing that had happened all year.

The next day, everyone was excited about the arrival of the American students. Like the year before when Durmstrang and Beauxbatons had come, Hogwarts was spotless. 

"I wonder how they're gonna get here?" Dean Thomas asked in the Great Hall at breakfast.

"Who knows?" Ron said with a shrug. 

"Remember, they aren't here for a tournament so they might not feel obligated to arrive in a strange way," Hermione stated. She noticed that Ginny was being very quiet. "Hey Ginny, what's wrong?" Ginny looked up with a start.

"N-nothing's wrong," she said a bit too quickly. Hermione was about to answer but Dumbledore stood up. 

"I am pleased to announce that the American students will be arriving in two hours. After you finish eating, please return to your common rooms to put your books away. Classes are canceled for today so our guests may adjust to the change. We will meet outside the front door in one hour and forty five minutes. Thank you." Everyone went back to eating. Except Mara. Making up some excuse she hurried out of the room.

"I wonder what's wrong with her?" Angelina asked in a slightly worried voice.

"She probably just wants to look nice for when her friends get here," Katie said with a shrug.

"Yeah, I guess," Angelina said. Everyone went back to eating.

As soon as she'd finished eating, Ginny got up. She really wanted to get out of there. She was still very confused by what she'd overheard the night before. She wanted to leave quickly in case she ran into Draco.

Unfortunately, it seemed her plan wasn't going too well, for as she hurried towards the door, she slipped and fell into someone, who caught her. However, when she looked up to see who it was and thank them, she stopped.

"Watch where you're going!" Draco said meanly. He pushed her roughly away. Ginny was shocked for a second, then she was angry.

"Why don't you Malfoy?" she declared.

"You ran into me Weasley! Now get out of my way," he yelled.

"No," Ginny said simply. Draco narrowed his eyes, and seemed to be ready to retort when Kevin, now with his own supply of goons, walked up.

"Having a little spat with your girlfriend, cousin?" he asked evilly. "Uncle Lucius won't be too happy to hear about this!" His minions laughed. Draco glared.

"She isn't my girlfriend!" he stated.

"But you too looked so close. You even caught her when she fell!" Kevin said in mock surprise. His underlings laughed again.

"Oh shove off! And leave him alone, you prat," Ginny said. Then her eyes widened. She'd just defended Malfoy! 

"Oh, look Draco, she's defending you. How cute!" Draco's glare deepened. Finally, he turned and left the room, followed by Kevin and his followers. As soon as she was sure that she wouldn't run into them, Ginny left as well.

Draco walked down the hallway sulkily. His entire world was spinning out of control and he didn't know how to stop it. Why had Kevin come here? More importantly, what was Draco going to do to stop him from ruining his reputation of being one of the meanest people in school. If he didn't, he wouldn't be worthy of the Malfoy name. Especially with his cousin telling everyone that he fancied that Weasley girl.

As he thought of Ginny, Draco was taken aback. First of all, why had he caught her when she fell? Wouldn't it have been more like him to step away? He thought back to that moment in the great hall…

_He'd been getting up so that he could leave and decide how to prove that he really could be a Malfoy to his father. Then he'd just been deciding how when the red-headed girl had tripped and started falling towards him. He would've had time to move, but he still caught her…_

Draco shook himself out of his reverie. He was going to have to make doubly sure that nothing like that happened again. From then on, he was going to have to be mean to everyone. That would show Kevin! Draco started walking determinedly towards the Slytherin dungeon. However, he slowed as another thought occurred to him. She'd defended him. When Kevin had said that thing about him catching her, she'd called him a prat. Why had she done that? After he'd always he so mean to her, what would prompt her to do that? After all, the last person he'd seen the shy little Weasel defending was Potter back in second year in Flourish and Blott's … No! It wasn't like that. It couldn't be like that. After all, everyone knew how much she liked Potter. This was _completely _different! However, no matter how many times Draco tried to tell himself this, the more his brain said _it's exactly the same._

In the Gryffindor common room, Ginny was also contemplating what had just happened. Why had she suddenly decided to defend Malfoy? Furthermore, how could she have believed, for even a second that he had actually liked her? _You wanted him to,_ that annoying little voice of reason that everyone seems to be stuck with said. _No! I like Harry! _She quickly thought. _Oh really? Give it a rest Ginny! When are you going to give up on your little case of hero worship and get on with your life? After all, you know he doesn't think of you that way, _the voice of reason declared. _He might someday, _Ginny thought in a hopefully. However, she knew the voice of reason was right. _Now, Malfoy on the other hand hasn't actually even had a real girlfriend. That is, unless you count that Parkinson girl who seems to think he likes her. _Ginny sighed. _But he's so mean to all of us,_ she thought. _Oh, that's just because he thinks he's gotta prove himself to his father. I know! Why don't you talk to Mara? She's sitting over there. Plus, she's went out with Draco's scumbag of a cousin, so maybe she could help you out. _Ginny looked at Mara who seemed to be deep in thought about something. _Why not?_

"Hey, Mara?" Ginny said quietly. Mara looked up. "Can I talk to you about something?"

"Uh, sure," Mara said. She seemed to be a little confused. "Go ahead." Ginny told her about her problem. She hadn't meant to say everything, but it had all just came out.

"…and he's always been so mean to us!" Ginny finished. Mara looked at the ground for a moment.

"You wanna know who he sounds like? This guy who went to my old school. His name was Pietro Maximoff. His dad was big on this whole, "Wizards are better than Muggles" thing. However, he didn't say it much around Xavier. Anyway, Pietro was always trying to show his father that he was just like him; he probably still is. He would do anything to earn his father's respect, although he probably never will. I mean he'd do ANYTHING!"

"Like what?" Ginny asked curiously. 

"Well, he got his sister sent to a mental hospital, dumped his girlfriend because she wasn't in Slytherin, help his father alter his sister's memory when she got out, and turned his back on all his friends when his father asked for his help. Oh, and then he forced them to take him back when his father instructed him to," Mara said. Just then, the portrait swung open and most of the Gryffindors entered the common room.

"Come on!" Angelina said to Mara. "We'd better hurry!"

"We've gotta be down there in five minutes!" Katie added. Mara got up, and quickly they hurried away. Ginny sighed and followed them. Maybe Malfoy was like this Pietro guy. If he was, then he wasn't really a bad person, just misguided. _No, he's still a bad person, _the voice of reason declared. _Hello! You're the one who told me that I should go out with him! _Ginny thought exasperatedly. _Well, I'm you so technically you told yourself that! _it pointed out. _But, why did you have me go talk to Mara if you were just going to call Draco a bad person?_ Ginny whined. _Since when do you call him Draco? You're beginning to like him! Well, maybe not your best choice, but at least you seem to be getting over your hero worship of Harry!_ the voice of reason declared. _I do NOT like Dra- Malfoy! _Ginny thought. Then, she hurried out of the portrait hole and downstairs.

TBC…

A/N: Well, there it is! I know it isn't probably as good as the other chapters, but I'm still trying to get the hang of this. As to why Ginny asked Mara, it was just because I had to have her talk to someone who knew Pietro, and considering he's gonna show up in the next chapter, Mara obviously did. Don't worry, Mara's not gonna becaome the one everyone turns to for advice! Thanks to everyone who reviewed since I last updated. You're the main reason I decided to write some more. Now for the reasons I stopped writing:

1) Even though it was summer vacation, I had to get up really early to go to work: picking strawberries. By the time I got home, I was hot and sweaty and I really didn't feel like sitting down and going on the computer.

2) I was reading a lot of other books because in my town's stupid library, the Harry Potter books are in the little kids section, so they don't count towards a prize. (which just isn't fair!)

3) I was really into X-Men Evolution. I mean, it's gotta be my favorite cartoon, and since it was on Cartoon Network, I was watching it almost everyday. This kind of made my brain shift it's focus away from Harry Potter. 

4) I knew the fifth book was going to be coming out, so I thought that I'd wait for that to see if I could use anything from it. However, I decided to wait to actually hear a little about the book before I actually read it for myself. 

5) However, this turned out not to be a very good plan because after I'd read about some things that happened in Order of the Phoenix, I was pretty bummed (i.e. Sirius's death). So I _really _wasn't in the mood to be writing HP fanfic.

6) Finally, there was the fact that with new episodes of X-Men Evolution coming out, and me watching General Hospital with my sister, my summer was booked.

However, now I'm back in school and, amazingly, have more free time than in the summer. (this is mainly due to the fact that I don't have to do any outdoor work). So, I'm gonna try writing some more. Oh, I've also edited the last four chapters a little. Nothing really major except I tried to make Mara less Mary-Sueish. Oh, and about the whole J.R.R. Tolkein was a wizard thing, I just needed to have some way to explain why everyone knew who he was. Well, please review! 


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